ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 



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PHILADELPHIA, PA., FEBRUARY, 1900. 



OUR former printer made a blunder in regard to the January 

 NEWS, in placing on the title-page Vol. X, No. 11, instead of 

 Vol. XI, No. i. The copies had all been mailed to sub- 

 scribers, and we feared double references if we reprinted the 

 number and started the pagination with page i. We have 

 decided to put a reprint of the first leaf of the January num- 

 ber in this number, and continue the same paging through 

 this volume ( Vol. XI ). 



WE have already spoken of what might be termed peripa- 

 tetic entomology, or walking --nowadays riding over the 

 country in search of types, with a view of getting correct names 

 by comparison of specimens. There have been so many per- 

 sons afflicted with the mi/ii itch who have described slight 

 geographical variations as species that it becomes necessary to 

 see the identical specimens from which their descriptions were 

 made. If entomologists would only wait until proper series 

 of specimens were at hand, or until they become sufficiently 

 versed to know the meaning of variations whether specific or 

 the contrary much of this trouble could be avoided. Lately 

 we have had a number of gentlemen visit us on the errand of 

 type-seeing, and we have wondered whether the time would' 

 come when entomologists would only describe species that nix- 

 specific enough in character to enable an identification to be 

 made without a railroad ticket in one's pocket. Probably 

 there will always be persons who will describe these geographi- 

 cal forms ; and so long as this is done, peripatetic entomology 

 will be necessary, as every hundred miles changes the fades of 

 a species, and evolution makes any description or identification 

 impossible unless one's specimens came from the very fence- 

 corner where the types were found. It is true that individuals 

 in the human species are given names, and also cats and dogs ; 

 but, unfortunately, the individuals in insects are so numerous 

 that their identification to us, at least seems impossible. 



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